Wine Last Sold on: December 13, 2012
Domaine J. Laurens
Featured Wine:
2008 Le Clos des Demoiselles
| Varietal: | White Blend |
| Region: | France: Crémant-de-Limoux |
| Avg. Price: | $38.00 |
| Wine Spies: | $26.99 |
website
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
We only showcase wines that we love. While our emphasis is on quality first, every now and again we come across a real standout wine that rises above. When we do, we issue alerts like this one.
SUPER QPR ALERT:
At today’s special Wine Spies price, this wine delivers tremendous value - and a drinking experience that exceeds expectations, easily earning it this special QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Alert.
Mission Codename: The Ladies' Delight
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- In time for our Operatives New Years celebrations, send Agent Red to France, in search of the perfect Sparkling Wine. Secure every available bottle.
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Michel Dervin
Final Assessment
We usually reserve imported wines for our International Selection Sundays. This week, however we just could not wait to share today’s spectacular 2008 Clos des Demoiselles with you.
Bright, balanced and vivid, this wine is a true delight to the senses. In the mouth, the soft mousse plumes to the far corners of the palate, driving flavors as it moves.
We managed to get our hands on every last case and, at today’s price, this wine may not last the day.
Pair with a seafood salad, tuna tartar or a sea bass, with brown butter and capers. Or, pair with your favorite friends or family during your upcoming festivities!
Tasting Profile
Pale straw yellow, this beautiful sparkler produces a steady stream of tiny bubbles that rise to the surface with energy and vigor. Ropey legs provide an indication of the extended cellar time that this lovely wine underwent.
Lively and sweet with aromas of golden delicious apple, grapefruit, brie, lemon thyme, and a soft and yeasty bread smell.
Clean and full with a soft mousse that plumes in your mouth. The wine then takes on a creamy texture and carbonation is subtle and soft, adding a soft, pillowy and bright feeling all around the palate.
Yeasty, gently fruity and delicious, with baking apple, toast, honey butter, white melon, soft citrus and white peach.
A very long, rich finish, with honeydew melon, essence of grapefruit. The yeastiness seems to marry the fruit. Both of them gradually diminishing as the palate becomes softly dry.
What the Winery Says
This special bottle was created in honor of the Brut Original. The young wine is assembled from different varieties after tasting. It is in the bottle that the wine’s slow evolution gives birth to the precious mousse, with golden hinted robe wherein lie the majestic strings of delicate bubbles. On the palate the aromas of toast, honey and fresh fruits are perfectly balanced. This sparkling wine is soft and full, powerful as long on the finish. It’s delicious all through a meal even with exotic dishes like sushi or tempura. It also accompanies desserts such as cheesecake, or fruits pie.
Vineyard
The region’s climate is a well balanced mixture of Mediterranean and Atlantic influences, giving rise to hot, sunny days followed by cool nights, allowing the development of a grape fully healthy and mature. These conditions help create a perfect acid-sugar balance, a fundamental element in the taste of sparkling wines. Mauzac and Chenin are grown on the granular chalk-limestone well watered soil and the Chardonnay and the Pinot in deeper soil with more humidity. Date of harvest is end of August, beginning of September : an early hand-picking to ensure a good acid-sugar balance and transportation in small crates to avoid squashing the grapes.
Vinification
Method traditionnelle ; delicate and progressive pneumatic pressing with a view to produce an assemblage of heart of the vintage.
Varietal Composition
Chardonnay : 60 %, Mauzac : 5% ; Chenin : 30 % ; Pinot : 5 %
Alcohol: 12%
About the Winery
The domaine J.Laurens is located in the south of France, near La Digne d’Aval and La Digne d’Amont, 5 kms from Limoux, a stone’s throw away from the medieval city of Carcassonne, an hour from Toulouse and two hours from Montpellier.
The domaine has been producing sparkling A.O.C. wines since the 1980’s on the 30 hectare vineyard. Year after year the domaine has consolidated its reputation for quality in France, many European countries, America, Canada and Japan. During the 1980’s, Michel Dervin, expert in of the Champagne region, became an enthusiast for the Limoux terroir, deciding to buy a vineyard.
Born in Limoux and after a period in business in Switzerland, Jacques Calvel bought the vineyard in 2002. Helped by Michel “The know-how” and Henri Albrus, the winemaker, he decided to restructure the vineyard and equipment of the domaine to develop the quality and style of the wines.
The Domaine J.Laurens is widely esteemed for its signature for a refined, fresh style of wines. The special bottle used for the Clos des Demoiselles was created in honour of the ‘Brut Originel’, the first sparkling wine made in Limoux. Young wine is assembled from various grape varieties after tasting.
